Welcome to our quarterback streaming articles for 2023!
Every week we will bring you our advice on which signal-callers have the potential to help your fantasy teams win. We will look at the previous weeks’ performances, the quarterbacks’ supporting cast, the matchup, and smart statistical insights to offer you the clearest picture of which QB to pick up from your waiver wire.
We will only consider QBs who are less than 70% rostered in Yahoo! leagues so as to give you an honest chance at picking one up for your team’s matchup.
The 2023 NFL season launches with a seismic shift at the quarterback position in terms of starters. Overall, 68 quarterbacks took the field in 2022 but of the starters in Week 1, half of the teams in the league (15) will have a different quarterback starting in 2023. All three rookie quarterbacks taken in the first round – Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers , C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans, and Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts – will start out of the gate. Second-year signal-callers Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders, Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons, Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers, and Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers also take the helm to begin the season for the first time. Then there is Jordan Love, who ascends the throne in Green Bay vacated by the enigmatic Aaron Rodgers, who has left to win a Super Bowl with the…er, Jets!
Old favorites, new hope and a mix of Jekyll-and-Hyde type quarterbacks ensure this season will be fantasy fun. We are here to help week in, week out.
So with that caveat, let’s look at the lay of the land for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season and highlight our recommendations.
| QB | Matchup | % Rostered (Yahoo!) | Projected Fantasy Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenny Pickett, Steelers | PIT vs. SF | 39% | 14.62 |
| Sam Howell, Commanders | WAS vs. ARI | 22% | 16.18 |
| Jordan Love, Packers | GB at CHI | 31% | 17.25 |
“King Kenny”
Kenny Pickett, Steelers vs. 49ers
There’s a feeling in Pittsburgh that Kenny Pickett could be the real deal. We have to agree. He matured through his rookie year and led the team to impressive wins in his final three starts. His poise in the pocket and ability to see targets at all levels offer high upside but his accuracy is still a valid issue. Saying that, he’s had a stellar preseason and his recent brief outing against the Bucs left us mouth-watering – Pickett completed six of his seven passes for 70 yards and a touchdown.
First up for Pickett is the 49ers at home. Last year, we would not be anywhere near this matchup but the 49ers are short DeMeco Ryans and Nick Bosa, and have a shuffling pack along the defensive line to start the year. Pickett has upside as a runner near the goal line, chipping in with three rushing scores last year as he got more comfortable.
🎱 ✖️ 🧃@kennypickett10 | @Juiceup__3 | Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/T87FSnfvVk pic.twitter.com/fHN7MDu7w6
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 25, 2023
“Mr. Sam Goes To Washington”
Sam Howell, Commanders vs. Cardinals
In his cameo in the final week of the 2022 season, Sam Howell made all Commanders sit up with hope. He scored 19.26 fantasy points in Yahoo! leagues after throwing for a score and adding 55 yards and a rushing touchdown in a winning effort against the Cowboys. Add to that the presence of new Offensive Coordinator Eric Bienemy, who will look to emerge from Andy Reid‘s shadow with an electric, multifaceted offense. Bienemy will mix in a lot of screens for Antonio Gibson, Curtis Samuel and Brian Robinson to go along with the big play ability of wideouts Terry McL:aurin and Jahan Dotson. Exciting. The Commanders need to win for their new owners, so it is all out for now.
Up first is the hapless Cardinals, who are rudderless on offense and a hotchpotch of mediocrity on defense. It is no exaggeration to say Arizona could have the worst defense in the NFL this season.
The two of them are going to be fun to watch @Sam7Howell x @deuce2_
📺 #BALvsWAS ESPN pic.twitter.com/hH6GKnNkuJ
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 22, 2023
“Heart Attack”
Jordan Love, Packers at Bears
The veteran of the new guard, Jordan Love is entering his third year in the NFL but nobody really knows what he is or what he could be. Stepping into the once large void left by Aaron Rodgers, but in truth now more modest void after a couple of declining years in terms of fantasy value for the new Jets starter, Love isn’t under pressure to be lights out from the first whistle. The Packers have one of the best backfields in the league and a promising young receiving corps. There is as much to be positive about as there is unknown. The preseason went very well, and Love should be well protected with a creative game plan. We’ll take that.
An away day isn’t ideal for a new starting quarterback, especially against an upstart division rival. However, the Bears still have a lot of holes in this defense and they currently rank 24th out of 30 on FantasyPros going into the season. At 6-4, 219, Love has upside as a rusher too, something key in streaming quarterbacks.
We LOVE seeing this 🙌@jordan3love to @ChristianW2017 for the TOUCHDOWN!#SEAvsGB | #GoPackGo
📺: Packers TV Network pic.twitter.com/3GuAga9KYZ
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 26, 2023
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Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Rich von Biberstein / Icon Sportswire